2012 Croze Chardonnay

The other night Chris prepared a creamy curry chicken, asparagus and hash brown casserole with fresh Meyer lemon and herbs for dinner. She wanted to pair it with a white wine and asked me to grab a bottle. I had never paired a curry with a wine so I was up to the task. I was thinking either a Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, or Chardonnay would be the trick but decide to do a quick Google search to see what other people would suggest. I was surprised to see many people paired the curry with a sweet Riesling, which is not our favorite but I guess if the curry was really spicy, I could see how it would work. This dish was not spicy so after reading a few reviews we decided on one of our favorites! A Croze Chardonnay that was delicious!

Sight
Medium color depth and a straw/gold hue. The Chardonnay was very clear.

Smell
Moderate aromas, youthful-fruity development with aromas of buttery, creamy, citrus, and lemon.

Taste
This Chardonnay was dry and full-bodied with lively acidity. The tannins were week and soft. Tasting the Chardonnay I had soft buttery mid-palate flavors and noticed a long finish.

abv: 13.2%

How much: $29.00. (A great value for such a wonderful wine!)

Region/appellation: Simone Vineyard in the Oak Knoll district.

I really enjoy this style of Chardonnay. 50% of the Chardonnay juice went through second malo-lactic fermentation. The lees were stirred weekly (called Batonnage) while the wine went through fermentation and malo-lactic fermentation. Once the fermentation’s were done the wine was re-racked off the lees (dead yeast).